Advice on getting a dog for the first time

[Wellsbells]

Hello,

We had a dog when I was a child and I’ve always loved them but never been in the right situation to have a dog as an adult until now. I know it’s a big decision and there’s a lot to consider so I’m hoping to get advice if possible.

We live in a house with a garden in a small town with a park and countryside nearby. I live with my DP and 4 year old DD. I work away two days a week and DP works from home for himself so is flexible. I am at home working on my own business the rest of the time so also flexible when I’m here. We would like a small dog that’s good with a small child and is happy with being walked up to an hour a day.

I suppose my main questions are, is it better to try to get a rescue dog and how easy is this? What is required if we do this? Or is it better to get a puppy from a breeder? What are the pros and cons of both? How do I search for them? Is there anything I should be wary of?

Apart from vets bills, immunisations, insurance and equipment like leads, bed etc what other costs should I consider?

Are there any particular breeds that you think would be better suited to our situation with a small child? Or any to be avoided?

Anything important I might have missed?

Many thanks in advance for any advice

Personally I would steer clear of rescue dogs with a young child. I think most rescues have a policy of not re homing with young kids anyway

Re breed - I can whole heartedly recommend a Labrador. I've had them for the past 15 yrs and they are just wonderful family dogs.They also come in all shapes and sizes, one of mine is very petite.

I think you really need to do some specific breed research and what is going to fit in with your family life. Then you can approach breeders directly.

Things you want to ask - has the bitch and stud dog had relevant health tests, view both parents if possible, ask the breeder how many litters the bitch has had, what is her temperament like, how experienced are the breeders etc.

Any decent breeder will grill you too - when I bred a litter a few years ago I asked a lot of questions of each potential buyer and wasn't afraid to turn people away if they weren't suitable. I had one lady say she wanted one of my puppies as a Christmas present for her young child - she was turned away!

Other things to research would be the food you want to give your dog. Factor that into your finances because the higher quality feeds are expensive (but worth it).

If you get a puppy get 2! They keep each other company and they always have a playmate. I had one puppy and found she was lonely when we left her and got bored when the kid was in bed and I was too tired to play. When she turn one I got another puppy. It's honestly been amazing. They play fight all the time sleep on top of each other they're literally best friends. Now when we're out we watch on the cctv and they're happy as Larry playing together stealing each other's toys or just sleeping next to one another!

Reputable breeders are unlikely to sell to anyone with young children. The kids need to be late primary school i.e. 7 or over to cope with the puppy stage. Otherwise you're setting yourself up for 2 years of hell juggling puppy and child.
As everyone has decided lockdown is the time to get a dog, it is very hard to get hold of puppies so the good breeders can be very picky about who to sell to (typically people they know or have had dogs before).
So my advice is to wait a couple of years but use that time to find and get to know a good breeder.

Ok brilliant advice thank you! I don’t mind waiting a while until it’s the right time/right dog and you’ve given me plenty to research so I’ll do that

We found it difficult to get a dog from a rescue - our local one is inundated with applications for most dogs and especially those we were interested in.

We ended up getting a cockerpoo - they aren’t completely non shedding but they shed a lot less than other breeds.

You absolutely need to do your research on whatever breed you’re interested in, making sure you’re aware of potential health issues and that the breeder has for the relevant bitch and sire DNA information.

As PP says, good quality food is not cheap - I think I spend around £100 a month for mine (with natural treats).

Grooming is around £40-50 a time, depending on breed and how often they need it doing. Then there’s the endless toys to keep them busy, lickimats, snuffle mats, waterproofs for walking.

I was shocked at how many things you end up needing. Toys were definitely a shock - they can’t go out until a week after their second vaccinations so you need to keep them occupied at home for up to 5 weeks.

Oh and you’ll need plenty of Vanish pet spray and endless kitchen rolls for the first couple of months as they have a fair few accidents until they are toilet trained.

Consider rehoming a dog from an assistance charity like Guide Dogs. They will know the full history and are usually good with kids (the ones which aren’t will not be rehomed to families with children). A puppy is a lot of hard work, although rewarding but it is nice to have an older dog that is toilet trained and happy to be left for short periods. Good luck!

Puppies are an absolute nightmare! For at least the first 9 months I regularly thought we'd ruined our lives.
She turned 1 in September and is much, much better now. But I definitely wish I'd been more prepared for the puppy stage.

If you get a puppy get 2!

I don’t know enough about it to know for sure but I wouldn’t get two puppies at exactly the same time for fear of risking littermate syndrome.

(@kfcplease be careful advising people to do this. It worked out for your because one of your pups was already a year old.)

Adopt, don't shop - though to be fair, you will find it difficult to adopt a rescue with such a young child, but most rescues are expecting to be inundated with dogs when things start to return to normal so the right dog will be out there for you. Look for a rescue that fosters its dogs so you have some idea of how they will behave in a family home. Don't take a 'street rescue' dog straight off the plane from Romania or whatever, while that sometimes works out well you have no way of knowing or understanding the temperament of the dog.

I have never been anti-breeder, but seeing the prices that some are charging for puppies at the moment has changed that somewhat. And of course it's really hard to avoid puppy farms so you need to do your research very carefully.

That's not a problem if you get them from the same litter.

Sorry misread your post! Ignore my last post.

Do not get two! That's really bad advice and tbh no responsible breeder will let you have two anyway.

Whippets are low shed and don't need as much exercise as you'd think - fine on an hour a day. Or a mini schnauzer?

terrible advice to get two, ignore that poster -decent breeders wouldn't let this happen anyway.

having got a puppy when working from home id just say that it was very difficult. very little work got done for about 6 months. we had to put him in daycare 3x a week just to get a break so I could actually work. so account for daycare costs, even just going on holiday costs nearly 300 a week to have him looked after.

Rescues and puppies both have pros and cons. Rescues - you’re obviously helping a dog in need, they are usually house trained and usually can go on longer walks so you can start living your dog life sooner. The downsides are that rescues have so many criteria and you won’t always be eligible, they make require your child to be a lot older. You also don’t always know what you are getting with a rescue or their health background. You also might not get your ideal breed, unless you go to a breed specific rescue. Puppies are hard work. You’ll need to wake up every few hours for the first few weeks to put them outside. They can only walk for short distances while they are growing so if you’re thinking long walks in the countryside, that won’t happen until they’re at least a year. They also have teenage years, so you might get through the puppy stage and they regress slightly. It can be 2 years to get a great dog. However, you can check their health background before purchasing them. You know their background and you get out of them what you put in. If you put in the training, you will get an absolutely fantastic dog.

You probably want to look at what breeds will fit you. A lot of people will suggest greyhound rescue but greyhounds aren’t suitable for everyone. We have a cockapoo but MN hates cockapoos so you won’t get support for them. I’d probably start with looking at the breed characteristics for some breeds and see what fits you. Get the dog to fit your lifestyle. So for example, labradors are great family pets but are large dogs. Whilst a puppy they need a lot of brain work, you have to be careful not to over walk them but most labradors after 2 years old will be comfortable walking for hours and hours but also flopping on the sofa. Or doing a mix of both. Some dogs will need a walk every day but won’t be happy walking for miles and miles, even on occasion. When you’ve found a breed or a range of breeds that suit you, you can start looking into whether you want a puppy or rescue, then start doin your googling from there.

Costs - you have big one-off items and your monthly ongoing expenses. So your big one-off expenses are a bed (hopefully, but if your dog destroys beds this could be a monthly cost), crate if you want to crate them, collar, lead, harness. Something to secure the dog in the car, this could be a harness and seatbelt clip, a carrier, crate or dog guard for the boot. If you have a dog guard and no other means of securing the dog in the boot, think about if you get a puppy and they’ll be eager to jump out of the boot in a busy car park. Toys, chews, brushes, dog towels (or new towels and move your old ones to dog ones), dog coats (especially if it’s a breed that suffers with the cold). Food and water bowls, portable water bowls. Some of these aren’t expensive but when buying in one go, can get expensive. Monthly expenses - vet treatments (flea, worm treatments with vaccinations yearly), insurance (doesn’t cover routine vet appointments). Food - the bugger the dog, the more food it’s going to eat. You might get a dog the has sensitivities and so you’ll be looking at providing higher quality foods, factor that into your budget. Training. Training treats. Dog walker or doggy day care if you’re going to be out. Grooming and even if the dog doesn’t need grooming, you will need shampoo etc. X Then there is also the unexpected expenses - so they’ve destroyed a bed and you need to buy a new one. Or they’ve eaten something they shouldn’t and need a vet appointment but it’s not worth claiming on your insurance.

Show cocker spaniel. I may be biased as that's all I know but they are very friendly and, exercise wise, one good off-lead walk a day plus ganders around the garden seem to suffice.

Whatever you do, plan for after lockdown.

Your dog will be used to at least one person being around all the time. After corona there will be times when nobody will be at home, kids will be at school or nursery, you might be at work and hubby may have to go to a workplace for a meeting.

That may only happen occasionally but the day it does your dog will be so freaked out that he will bark and howl the whole fricken day, freaking out that it’s family have abandoned him and annoying the living shit out of your neighbours.

I know as mine have had a dog for a decade that does this on a daily basis when they go out. It’s better now as they are in more due to corona, but it drives me nuts. Especially as my holidays have been spent at home the last few years in the company if their howling barking dog. Horrendous. (I have a cat so can’t take their dog in with me)!

So dogs need a safe space to go and feel content until their human friends return. Lots of people crate train with a kong or similar toy. The dog can go in and out at will but feel safe in his crate if he is lonely. And the kong will occupy him.

Also plan for dog walkers if you are all out all day in the future. It’s expensive. £15 a day where I am for an hours walk.

Make sure you research the breed and do hip and eye scores if the breed has a weakness. Get it vet checked by your own vet if possible. It’s awful to have a sick animal needing an operation you can’t afford!

Good luck. Dogs are great.

Thank you everyone, you’ve been really helpful

Just emphasising for anyone reading - DO NOT GET TWO PUPPIES AT THE SAME TIME! Especially not of the same sex, and definitely not from the same litter. Also beware a breeder who offers this as an option, any reputable one should know better! Google littermate syndrome and avoid a lifetime of stress, hassle and upset.

Echoing - never get two - particularly littermates.

A friend did, ignored all advice, said how easy and wonderful they were as pups, now, 3yrs later neither can be let off lead as they just do a runner. They never needed to go to training classes according to my friend .

What she just wasn't seeing was that all their bonding was with each other, once they gained in confidence they disappeared for hours at a time.

I do agree that two dogs are fantastic company for each other, but get one, train it, then add another, it will take its lead from the first.

Never get 2 puppies at once, especially littermates. Terrible advice. Littermate syndrome is definitely a thing. And they bond more so with each other than with you, so training is very difficult. They would be each other's priority/their own relationship the primary one - not yours. They have to be separated at training times and that can cause problems too if they can see/hear each other.

People I knew got 2 pups from the same litter, initially ok as tiny pups but after a week or so they were in competition with each other for attention etc. They would wee to mark their territory and it became the way to be the dominant dog. There would be very aggressive play fighting, which could be alarming. Their house stank despite the owners attempt to keep up with both of them urinating and trying to be top dog. They had to be separated and one was sold on. The other was then focussed on the owners and was biddable.